Agnès Varda

Agnès Varda’s Biography; All You Need To Know

Agnes Varda’s legacy as a pioneering filmmaker and artist continues to inspire and resonate with audiences worldwide. She will always be remembered for her great body of work, which still inspires a lot of people.

Agnès Varda’s Biography

Agnès Varda, born Arlette Varda on May 30, 1928, in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, was a renowned Belgian film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist.

She was noted for her distinct filming approach, which frequently featured location shooting and non-professional performers, violating 1950s French cinema traditions.

Varda was drawn to the arts at a young age, studying art history at the École du Louvre and photography at the École des Beaux-Arts. She began her career as a photographer at Paris’s Théâtre National Populaire before moving on to filmmaking.

Her interest in photography inspired her storytelling and the visual features of her films significantly.

La Pointe Courte (1955), Varda’s first feature film, was a stylistic predecessor to the French New Wave. Set in a small fishing hamlet, the film probed the nuances of a problematic relationship and highlighted Varda’s distinct blend of fictional and documentary elements.

Despite critical acclaim, the picture was a financial failure, prompting Varda to focus on short films for the next seven years.

Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), one of Varda’s most notable narrative films, follows a pop singer as she awaits the results of a biopsy. The film not only depicts the protagonist’s emotional journey but also confronts women’s objectification and challenges established gender stereotypes.

Varda covered a wide range of themes in her films during her career, frequently focusing on the lives of marginalised individuals or social issues.

Her documentary films, like The Gleaners and I (2000) and Faces Places (2017), demonstrated her interest in everyday life and her ability to uncover beauty and significance in the seemingly mundane.

Varda’s distinct artistic style and inventive approach to filmmaking earned her numerous awards and accolades throughout her career.

She won various honours, including a Cannes Film Festival Honorary Palme d’Or, a Venice Film Festival Golden Lion, and an Academy Honorary Award. She was the first female director to get an honorary Oscar in 2017.

Varda’s influence stretched well beyond filmmaking. She was regarded as a feminist icon, with her films challenging traditional standards and giving women’s experiences a voice. Generations of filmmakers and artists have been inspired by her work.

Agnès Varda died on March 29, 2019, at the age of 90, in Paris. Her death provoked a flood of accolades from the filmmaking industry, with directors including Martin Scorsese, Barry Jenkins, and Ava DuVernay expressing their respect for her singular vision and contributions to cinema.

What Was Agnès Varda’s Age At The Time Of Death?

Agnes Varda was 90 years old at the time of her death

What Is Agnès Varda’s Cause Of Death?

Agnès Varda’s cause of death was revealed to have been due to cancer-related diseases. She died at the age of 90 years old.

Who Is Agnès Varda’s Husband?

Agnès Varda’s husband is known as Jacques Demy, a French director, lyricist, and screenwriter.  Jacques was born on June 5, 1931, in Pontchâteau, France, and passed away on October 27, 1990, in the 14th arrondissement, Paris, France.

Agnès Varda’s Works

Feature films

Year Original title English title Credits
1955 La Pointe Courte Director, writer
1962 Cléo de 5 à 7 Cléo from 5 to 7 Director, writer
1965 Le Bonheur Director, writer
1966 Les Créatures The Creatures Director, writer
1967 Loin du Vietnam Far from Vietnam Co-director
1969 Lions Love Director, writer, producer
1975 Daguerréotypes Director, writer
1977 L’Une chante, l’autre pas One Sings, the Other Doesn’t Director, writer
1981 Mur Murs Director, writer
1981 Documenteur Director, writer
1985 Sans toit ni loi Vagabond Director, writer, editor
1988 Jane B. par Agnès V. Jane B. by Agnes V. Director, writer, editor
1988 Le petit amour Kung Fu Master Director, writer
1991 Jacquot de Nantes Director, writer
1993 Les demoiselles ont eu 25 ans The Young Girls Turn 25 Director, writer
1994 Les Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma A Hundred and One Nights Director, writer
1995 L’univers de Jacques Demy The World of Jacques Demy Director, writer
2000 Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse The Gleaners and I Director, writer, producer, editor
2002 Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse… deux ans après The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later Director, producer, editor
2004 Cinévardaphoto Director, writer
2006 Quelques veuves de Noirmoutier Some Widows of Noirmoutier Director, writer, editor
2008 Les plages d’Agnès The Beaches of Agnès Director, writer, producer, editor
2017 Visages Villages Faces Places Director, writer, editor
2019 Varda par Agnès Varda by Agnès Director, writer, editor

Short films

Year Original title English title Credits
1958 L’opéra-mouffe Diary of a Pregnant Woman Director, writer
1958 La cocotte d’azur Director, writer
1958 Du côté de la côte Along the Coast / Coasting the Coast Director, writer
1958 Ô saisons, ô châteaux Director, writer
1961 Les fiancés du pont MacDonald
(Méfiez-vous des lunettes noires)
Director, writer
1963 Salut les cubains Director
1965 Elsa la rose Director, writer
1967 Oncle Yanco Uncle Yanco Director, writer
1968 Black Panthers Director
1975 Réponse de femmes: Notre corps, notre sexe Women Reply Director, writer
1976 Plaisir d’amour en Iran Director, writer
1982 Ulysse Director, writer
1984 Les dites cariatides The So-Called Caryatids Director, writer
1984 7p. cuis., s. de b., … à saisir Director, writer
1986 T’as de beaux escaliers, tu sais You’ve Got Beautiful Stairs, You Know Director, writer
2002 Hommage à Zgougou (et salut à Sabine Mamou) Tribute to Zgougou the Cat Director, writer
2003 Le lion volatil Director, writer
2004 Ydessa, les ours et etc. Ydessa, the Bears and etc. Director, writer
2004 Viennale Walzer Vienna International Film Festival 2004 – Trailer Director, writer
2005 Les dites cariatides bis The So-Called Caryatids 2 Director, writer
2005 Cléo de 5 à 7: souvenirs et anecdotes Cléo from 5 to 7: Remembrances and Anecdotes Director
2015 Les 3 Boutons The Three Buttons Director, writer

Television work

Year Original title English title Credits
1970 Nausicaa (TV movie) Director, writer
1983 Une minute pour une image (TV documentary) Director
2010 P.O.V., episode 3, season 23, The Beaches of Agnès Director, writer, producer, cinematographer
2011 Agnès de ci de là Varda, 5 episodes (TV documentary) Director, writer

 

References

Wikipedia

New York Times


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